TBR 22 in '22 Challenge — wrap up post

The TBR 22 in '22 Challenge was hosted by Gilion at Rose City Reader.  The goal was to read 22 books from my TBR shelves in 2022.  The bigger goal, of course, is to read books I already own.  These books could be on my shelf or on my Kindle.  Books I read for other challenges counted as well.  So here are the books I completed in 2022 that fit the criteria:

1.  From the Dark We Rise ~ by Marion Kummerow, 2021, historical fiction (Germany), 281 pages, 7/10

2.  A Light in the Window ~ by Marion Kummerow, 2021, historical fiction (Germany), 280 pages, 6/10

3.  War Girl Lotte ~ by Marion Kummerow, 2017, historical fiction (Germany), 180 pages, 7/10

4.  Croissants and Corruption ~ by Danielle Collins, 2017, cozy mystery (Virginia), 164 pages, 8/10

5.  Desserts and Deception ~ by Danielle Collins, 2017, cozy mystery (Virginia), 128 pages, 7/10

6.  Mrs. Peachtree and the Eighth Avenue Cat ~ by Erica Silverman, illustrations by Ellen Beier, 1994, children's picture book, 32 pages, 8/10

7.  Caterpillar Kisses: Lessons My Kindergarten Class Taught Me About Life ~ by Christine Pisera Naman, 2005, anecdotes, 100 pages, 9/10

8.  Chester's Way ~ by Kevin Henkes, 1988, children's picture book, 32 pages, 10/10

9.  A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story ~ by Linda Sue Park, 2010, children's historical fiction (Sudan), 122 pages, 10/10

10.  The Titanic Sisters ~ by Patricia Falvey, 2021, historical fiction, 320 pages, 8/10

11.  Squeeze Me ~ by Carl Hiaasen, 2020, mystery (Florida), 352 pages, 4/10

12.  The Midnight Library ~ by Matt Haig, 2020, fiction, 288 pages, 8/10

13.  Still Alice ~ by Lisa Genova, 2007, literary fiction (Massachusetts), 320 pages, 9/10

14.  Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" ~ by Zora Neale Hurston, foreword by Alice Walker, 2018, cultural anthropology, 208 pages, 8/10

15.  The Butterfly Effect ~ by Rachel Mans McKenny, 2020, fiction (Iowa and Costa Rica), 328 pages, 6/10

16.  Dovetail ~ by Karen McQuestion, 2020, fiction (Wisconsin), 353 pages, 8/10

17.  Grandaddy's Short Stories ~ by Everette Summers, 2007, short stories, 47 pages, 1/10

18.  Grandaddy's Short Stories: Book II ~ by Everette Summers, 2007, short stories, 90 pages, 4/10

19.  Happy Now: Let Playfulness Lift Your Load and Renew Your Spirit ~ by Courtney Ellis, 2021, psychology, 213 pages, 9/10

20.  The Virtues of Aging ~ by Jimmy Carter, 1998, memoir, 160 pages, 10/10

21.  Fresh Scars ~ by Donna Mumma, 2021, fiction (Florida), 305 pages, 8/10

22.  Friends, Lovers, Chocolate (Isabel Dalhousie Mystery, Book 2) ~ by Alexander McCall Smith, 2005, mystery (Scotland), 272 pages, 9/10

===========================================

I did it! Then I kept reading books I already own.

I think l remembered to come here and add most of them.

Either way, I went WAY past my goal, so I'm happy.

===========================================

23.  Regarding Anna ~ by Florence Osmund, 2015, fiction, 272 pages, 10/10

24.  Aunt Bessie Decides ~ by Diana Xarissa, 2014, cozy mystery, 238 pages, 4/10

25.  Liar and Spy ~ by Rebecca Stead, 2012, children's mystery (New York), 208 pages, 8/10

26.  Pastries and Pilfering: Margot Durand Cozy Mystery, Book 3 of 12 ~ by Danielle Collins, 2017, cozy mystery (California and Mexico), 180 pages, 7/10

27.  Oy Vey, Maria! : A Mrs. Kaplan Mystery ~ by Mark Reutlinger, 2021, cozy mystery, 186 pages, 8/10

28.  Aunt Bessie Decides ~ by Diana Xarissa, 2014, cozy mystery, 238 pages, 4/10

29.  Class Reunions Can Be Murder: Every Wife Has A Story (A Baby Boomer Mystery Book 4) ~ by Susan Santangelo, 2013, cozy mystery, 240 pages, 9/10

30.  Retirement Can Be Murder: Every Wife Has A Story (A Baby Boomer Mystery Book 1) ~ by Susan Santangelo, 2009, cozy mystery, 214 pages, 8/10

31.  A Pain in the Tuchis: A Mrs. Kaplan Mystery ~ by Mark Reutlinger, 2015, cozy mystery, 217 pages, 10/10

32.  Last Train to Istanbul ~ by Ayse Kulin, 2002, historical fiction (France and Turkey), 417 pages, 4/10

33.  The Consequences of Fear: A Maisie Dobbs Novel (Book 16 of 17) ~ by Jacqueline Winspear, 2021, mystery (England), 352 pages, 9/10

34.  Educated ~ by Tara Westover, 2018, memoir (Idaho, Utah, England), 336 pages, 10/10

35.  The Value of Honesty: The Story of Confucius ~ by Spencer Johnson, illustrated by Steve Pileggi, 1979, children's picture book, 64 pages, 10/10

36.  StrengthsFinder 2.0 ~ by Tom Rath, 2007, self-help, 183 pages, 10/10

37.  Tao Te Ching: A Book About the Way and the Power of the Way ~ by Lao Tzu, translated by Ursula K. Le Guin with J. P. Seaton, 1997, religion, 137 pages, 9/10

38.  A Charlie Brown Christmas ~ by Charles M. Schulz, 2007, children's book, 128 pages, 10/10

39.  Kiss My Asterisk: A Feisty Guide to Punctuation and Grammar ~ by Jenny Baranick, 2014, English language, 178 pages, 4/10

THIS is the page where we are supposed to link our wrap up posts.  I listed books on my original sign-up post as I finished them, copied them for this page, and 39 is my final total.  Whew!  I've had a good reading year.

Mt. TBR Challenge for 2023

January 2023 kicks off the twelfth year for the Mount TBR Reading Challenge, which I did in 2020.  Bev at My Reader's Block hosts this challenge.  This time, I'm signing up for the Mt. Blanc level to read a total of 24 books from my own shelves in 2023.  (It looks like I picked TWO levels because today is TWOsday.)  Here are the challenge levels:

Pike's Peak (14,115 feet):  read 12 books from my TBR pile

1.  75 Years: A History of East Lake United Methodist Church 1908-1983 ~ by Bonnie Setliffe Jacobs, 1983, history, 38 pages, 8/10

2.  The Irish Cottage: Finding Elizabeth (The Irish Heart Series Book 1) ~ by Juliet Gauvin, 2014, fiction (Ireland), 349 pages, 4/10

3.  A Vow of Silence ~ by Veronica Black, 1990, cozy mystery (England), 175 pages, 8/10

4.  A Vow of Chastity ~ by Veronica Black, 1992, cozy mystery (England), 191 pages, 3/10

5.  Being Authentic: A Memoir ~ by Morhaf Al Achkar, 2020, memoir, 174 pages, 7/10

    6.

    7.

    8.

    9.

    10.

    11.

    12.

Mont Blanc (15,781 feet):  read 24 books from my TBR pile

    13.

    14.

    15.

    16.

    17.

    18.

    19.

    20.

    21.

    22.

    23.

    24.

Mt. Vancouver (15,787 feet):  read 36 books from my TBR pile

Mt. Ararat (16,854 feet):  read 48 books from my TBR pile

Mt. Kilimanjaro (19,341 feet):  read 60 books from my TBR pile

Cerro El Toro (20,236 feet):  read 75 books from my TBR pile

Mt. Everest (29,029 feet):  read 100 books from my TBR pile

Mount Olympus (Mars) (69,841 feet):  read 150+ books from my TBR pile

I'll conquer the lower Pike's Peak and keep going until I reach the top of Mont Blanc.  Maybe I'll go even higher.  Who knows?  Sign up HERE, if you are interested.

Nonfiction November ~ covers five weeks

These five bloggers invite us to join in the Nonfiction November challenge:

1. Katie at Doing Dewey
2. Rennie at What’s Nonfiction?
3. Jami at The OC Book Girl
4. Christopher at Plucked from the Stacks
5. Rebekah at She Seeks Nonfiction

Here’s the lineup of assignments for this year:

Week 1:  (Oct 31-Nov 4) – Your Year in Nonfiction

Take a look back at your year of nonfiction and reflect on the following questions – What was your favorite nonfiction read of the year?  Do you have a particular topic you’ve been attracted to more this year?  What nonfiction book have you recommended the most?  What are you hoping to get out of participating in Nonfiction November?  (Katie @ Doing Dewey)

Week 2:  (November 7-11) – Book Pairing

This week, pair up a nonfiction book with a fiction title (or another nonfiction).  It can be a “If you loved this book, read this!” or just two titles that you think would go well together.  Maybe it’s a historical novel, and you’d like to get the real history by reading a nonfiction version of the story.  Or pair a book with a podcast, film, or documentary, TV show, etc. on the same topic or stories that pair together.  (Rennie @ What’s Nonfiction?)

Week 3:  (November 14-18) – Stranger Than Fiction

This week we’re focusing on all the great nonfiction books that almost don’t seem real.  A sports biography involving overcoming massive obstacles, a profile on a bizarre scam, a look into the natural wonders in our world — basically, if it makes your jaw drop, you can highlight it for this week’s topic.  (Christopher @ Plucked from the Stacks)

Week 4:  (November 21-25) – Worldview Changers

One of the greatest things about reading nonfiction is learning all kinds of things about our world which you never would have known without it.  There’s the intriguing, the beautiful, the appalling, and the profound.  What nonfiction book or books has impacted the way you see the world in a powerful way?  Do you think there is one book that everyone needs to read for a better understanding of the world we live in?  (Rebekah @ She Seeks Nonfiction)

Week 5:  (November 28-Dec 2) – New to My TBR*

It’s been a month full of amazing nonfiction books.  Which ones have made it onto your TBR?  Be sure to link back to the original blogger who posted about that book.  Pro tip:  Start this draft post at the beginning of the month, and add to it as your TBR multiplies.  (Jaymi @ The OC Book Girl)

* TBR = To Be Read, meaning the list (or stack) of books you hope to read.

Your Caturday Challenge ~ find the cats

(1)  This photo really does have a cat in it.  I can see it.

(2)  This photo really does have a fourth cat in it.

(3)  And this photo does have a second cat in it.  This one is the easiest today.

If you enjoyed this challenge, click on this find my cat link.  Hints:  (1) orange cat with white chest in center of the photo, (2) top left quadrant, (3) right side.

Music makers, bookish thoughts, and a challenge

Decades ago, I bought this 6-hole cedar flute in Cherokee, North Carolina.  I've added the beaded feathers to the green felt bag.  Sheila and I were talking about music and musical instruments recently, and I told her about my flute and my kalimba.

Donna gave me this kalimba many years ago.  Clawdia is in the picture because she wanted to play with (not play) the kalimba when I put it on the bed to snap a picture.  It's a small thumb piano with only a single octave on it, unlike the larger mbira also pictured in this blog post from last year.

I'll be reading children's books next week, when these books on hold at my library are delivered:

• Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus ~ by Dusti Bowling, 2017
• Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus ~ by Dusti Bowling, 2019
• Classified: The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer ~ by Traci Sorell, illustrated by Natasha Donovan, 2021

Your challenge

If you think your English is good,

I challenge you to write any word

that starts with C and ends with E

One last thought

The TBR 21 in '21 challenge

The goal is to read 21 books from my TBR shelves in 2021.  I can do that easily, I think.  I'll list books here as I read them:

1. Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith ~ by Anne Lamott, 2005, memoir, 7/10
2. Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner and Saint ~ by Nadia Bolz-Weber, 2013, memoir, 8/10

Here's the sign-up page, if you are interested.  No, it isn't too late, if you think you can read 21 books you already own.  I'm doing it, you know.  And here's the page to post your reviews after you've read each book.

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Note added 3/27/2022

Well, folks, I totally forgot about this challenge after completing only two books.  I discovered it because I've been doing the TBR 22 in '22 Challenge.

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Mount TBR Reading Challenge

I've decided to join the Mount TBR Reading Challenge because I have mountains of books to climb and miles of bookcases to read before I sleep (or something like that).  "TBR" is shorthand for "to be read.")

The idea is to concentrate on books I already have, rather than borrow library books or buy new ones that I don't really need.  So I'm telling myself to concentrate on reading what's here (and passing along books I've read to others), while planting flags on some of these mountains.

Challenge Levels:

Pike's Peak:  read 12 books from my TBR pile (14,115 ft)
Mont Blanc:  read 24 books from my TBR pile (15,781 ft)
Mt. Vancouver:  read 36 books from my TBR pile (15,787 ft)
Mt. Ararat:  read 48 books from my TBR pile (16,854 ft)
Mt. Kilimanjaro:  read 60 books from my TBR pile (19,341 ft)
Cerro El Toro:  read 75 books from my TBR pile (20,236 ft)
Mt. Everest:  read 100 books from my TBR pile (29,029 ft)
Mount Olympus (Mars):  read 150+ books from TBR pile (69,841 ft)

The Rules:

Once you choose your challenge level, you are locked in for at least that many books.  You are welcome to voyage further and conquer taller mountains after your commitment is met.  All books from lower mountains carry over towards the next peak.  Books must be owned by you prior to January 1, 2020.  The challenge runs from January 1 to December 31, 2020.

My declared goal will be Mt. Ararat, 48 books from my own shelves.  Why?   Because of Mt. Ararat's location.  I'm a theologian, and Mt. Ararat is "located" in the Bible (in Genesis 8:4 ~ "and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat." (Genesis 8:4).  I'm setting forth on this sea of books, hoping to rest atop Ararat by the end of 2020.  I'll come back here to list each book I finish that counts toward the goal.  I have three "practice peaks" before Mount Ararat.

Pike's Peak (#1-12)

1.  Becoming: A Guided Journal for Discovering Your Voice ~ by Michelle Obama, 2019, journal, 9/10
2.  Paws for a Moment with God: Devotions Best Enjoyed in the Company of a Cat ~ compiled by Patricia Mitchell, 2010, reflections, 7/10
3.  Good Dog. Stay. ~ by Anna Quindlen, 2007, memoir, 9/10
4.  Cat Tales: A Catty Concoction of Quotes, Poems and "Dear Tabby" Advice ~ edited by Suzanne Beilenson, 1992, quotations, 7/10
5.  What Cats Teach Us ... Life's Lessons Learned from Our Feline Friends ~ by Glenn Dromgoole, 2000, gift book, 7/10
6.  Have a Little Faith: A True Story ~ by Mitch Albom, 2009, memoir, 9/10
7.  Making Toast: A Family Story ~ by Roger Rosenblatt, 2010, memoir, 9/10
8.  Ten Keys to Happier Living: A Practical Science-Based Handbook for Happiness ~ by Vanessa King, 2016, self-help, 9/10
9.  Allah: A Christian Response ~ by Miroslav Volf, 2011, religion, 8/10
10.  Transitions: Prayers and Declarations for a Changing Life ~ by Julia Cameron, 1999, meditations, 9/10
11.  The Big Book for Peace ~ edited by Ann Durell and Marilyn Sachs, 1990, stories, 9/10
12.  Heidegger and a Hippo Walk Through Those Pearly Gates: Using Philosophy (and Jokes!) to Explore Life, Death, the Afterlife, and Everything in Between ~ by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein, 2009, humor, 8/10

Mont Blanc (#13-24)

13.  Does God Have a Big Toe?: Stories about Stories in the Bible ~ by Marc Gellman, art by Oscar de Mejo, 1989, stories, 8/10
14.  Two Old Women: An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival ~ by Velma Wallis, 1993, fiction, Alaska, 9.5/10
15.  Mortality ~ by Christopher Hitchens, 2012, memoir, 9/10
16.  Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner ~ edited by Ellen E. Garrigues, 1895 and 1910, ballad, 8/10
17.  Politically Correct Bedtime Stories ~ by James Finn Garner, 1994, humor, 8/10
18.  Once Upon a More Enlightened Time ~ by James Finn Garner, 1995, humor, 3/10
19.  The Andrew Project ~ by James Taylor, 1985, theology, 9/10
20.  Talk Before Sleep ~ by Elizabeth Berg, 1994, fiction, 9/10
21.  The Winged Cat: A Tale of Ancient Egypt ~ by Deborah Nourse Lattimore, 1992, fiction (Egypt), 7/10

Mt. Vancouver (#25-36)
Mt. Ararat (#37-48)

You can sign up for this challenge any time during the year by clicking this link:  Mount TBR Reading Challenge.  Headquarters and the "crew" joining this challenge are found here.

Thankfully Reading Weekend Bingo

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz is offering a Bingo game during this Thanksgiving weekend, because there's a reading challenge going on.  Deb says:

"Start any time.  Do as much or as little as you like.  Talk about it on your blog (or Twitter or wherever you like to talk books) as little or as much as you like.  When you are finished (with a square, a row, or all the squares) link up here and throw your name into the hat to win a $25 gift card from Book Depository.  The BINGO game Linky will be open from November 27th through the end of the day CST December 1, and it is open to anyone in the world who can receive books from Book Depository."

Someone asked, "Does a Kindle count as a computer?"  Deb replied, "Absolutely.  I hope you will join in!  Do as little or as much as you want.  Add your name to the Linky."  So if you are interested, click Deb's Linky and sign up to play Bingo with us.  I'm in, and some of my reading will be on my Kindle.

You may also sign up with Jenn at Jenn's Bookshelves to read thankfully from now through Sunday evening.  I'm in.

Deb Nance = Thankfully Reading Weekend BINGO
Jenn's Bookshelves = Thankfully Reading Weekend

Big Book Challenge

Zora Neale Hurston: Novels and Stories ~ ed. by Cheryl A. Wall, 1995, fiction (Florida)

When she died in obscurity in 1960, all of Zora Neale Hurston's books were out of print.  Now she is recognized as one of the most important and influential modern American writers.  This book features Their Eyes Were Watching God, the acclaimed 1937 novel about a woman's struggle for love and independence.  Jonah's Gourd Vine, Hurston's 1934 novel based on the story of her parents, details the rise and fall of a preacher torn between spirit and flesh.  Moses, Man of the Mountain is her 1939 retelling of the Exodus story in black vernacular.  Seraph on the Suwanee (1948) portrays the passionate clash between a poor southern "cracker" and her willful husband.  A selection of short stories is also included in this volume.

✓  May 25 ~ Kickoff Party and Keynote Speech by Dr. Rafia Zafar
✓  June 16 ~ Stories of the Harlem Renaissance with Bobby Norfolk
✓  June 22-24 ~ discussion of Jonah's Gourd Vine
✓  June 23 ~ Marquise Knox Blues Performance
July 27-29 ~ discussion of Moses, Man of the Mountain
August 18 ~ Film Screening of "Their Eyes Were Watching God"
August 24-26 ~ discussion of Their Eyes Were Watching God

Every summer, the University City Public Library features the Big Book Challenge for adults.  This year's "big book" is really several smaller books in a single volume.  We'll discuss three of the novels, as shown above, but I plan to read the rest of the book if time permits.  And I'll come back here to check off those events and discussions I'm able to attend.

Full House Reading Challenge

Katheryn @ Book Date is hosting a Full House Reading Challenge.   She designed a bingo card that bloggers use to read books and play bingo at the same time.  Here's the playing card:

* Self Challenge means setting a challenge for yourself for this square.  For example, Kathryn said she might read a book by a male author, because she hardly ever does that.

* Setting beginning with B.  This can be a country, a state, a place, a street.  Or it could be a beach or the bush or a bookshop, as long as a good part of the book is set there.  The whole book might be, but it doesn't have to be.

Guidelines

• The challenge runs from January 1 to December 31, 2016.
• Books may cross over from other challenges that I'm doing.
• Write and publish a post stating my intention to participate, and link it back to her post.
• Add my reviews to the quarterly link ups.  At the end of every quarter, there will be a U.S. $12 prize for a book we choose from the Book Depository or a voucher from U.S. Amazon.  Each review can only be linked up once in the year.  However it doesn't matter when in 2016 we read the book.  Link as we remember or have time.  So if I read it in January and don't get around to linking it until May, that's fine.  Reviews are not mandatory, and we're allowed to keep a list of books read to enter in the final linky or in a comment at the completion of the challenge.
• Link my summary to the final post for having completed a full house.  The challenge will close on January 2, 2017, and a winner will be chosen using random.org for a U.S. $30 prize which can be used to buy books at the Book Depository or be received as an Amazon voucher.
• We are allowed "one free exchange."  If there is something on the square we really dislike, we may change it to something we choose.  We can use the free choice only once, and that's it.  Mention the exchange in the final summary post.
• This is a challenge designed for fun rather than stress.  Read as usual, and see how many just naturally check off a square.

Quarterly Link Ups

January-March ~ I read ___ books that fit

1.  Go Set a Watchman ~ by Harper Lee, 2015, fiction (Alabama), 8/10 ~ published in 2015.
2.  The Time Keeper ~ by Mitch Albom, 2012, fiction, 8/10 ~ thought provoking book.
3.  The Fifth Floor ~ by Julie Oleszek, 2015, fiction (illinois), 8/10 ~ debut novel
4. A Sister's Promise (Sisters Series, Book 1) ~ by Karen Lenfestey, 2010, fiction, 8/10 ~ family relationship in title (also first in series)
5. Say That Again (The Faderville Novels, Book 2) ~ by N. Gemini Sasson, 2015, fiction (Kentucky), 10/10 ~ didn't want to put it down
6. Desire Lines ~ by Christina Baker Kline, 1999, fiction (Bangor, Maine), 8/10 ~ setting begins with a B
7. The Obituary Society ~ by Jessica L. Randall, 2014, fiction, 6/10 ~ new author to me
8. The Dead Wife's Handbook ~ by Hannah Beckerman, 2014, fiction (England), 9/10 ~ author outside my own country
9. Until the Next Time ~ by Kevin Fox, 2012, fiction (Ireland), 6/10  

April-June ~ I read ___ more books that fit
July-September ~ I read ___ more books that fit
October-December ~ I read ___ more books that fit

Foodies Read Challenge 2015

Foodies Read Challenge 2015

Definition

A "food book" is any book which is centered around food and/or drinks. It could be a cookbook, a food biography or memoir, a novel in which food plays a major role, or a book of nonfiction focused on a specific food, wine, chef, or restaurant.

Decide how many books, and pick your reading level.

• Short-Order Cook:  1 to 3 books     ✓   (my choice)
• Pastry Chef:  4 to 8 books
• Sous-Chef:  9 to 13 books
• Chef de Cuisine:  14 to 18
• Cordon-Bleu Chef:  more than 19

Blog about each book you read.

Post the link to your review under the book's category:

• cookbook
• memoir/biography
• fiction
• nonfiction
• challenge wrap-up post

Guidelines

• The challenge runs from January 1 through December 31, 2015.
• You don’t need a pre-selected list of books.
• It’s okay to cross over with other challenges.
• Any book format is allowed (print, audio, ebook).

List of food books I've read in 2015

1.  Simmer and Smoke: A Southern Tale of Grit and Spice ~ by Peggy Lampman, 2015, fiction (Georgia), 8/10.  This one is #53 on the Foodies fiction list.

2.

List of other food books I intend to read

1.  Living a Healthy Life with Chronic Conditions ~ by Kate Lorig, Halsted Holman, David Sobel, Diana Laurent, Virginia González, and Marian Minor (4th ed), 2012, health

2.  Unprocessed: My City-Dwelling Year of Reclaiming Real Food ~ by Megan Kimble, 2015, health

3.  Voices of the Food Revolution: You Can Heal Your Body and Your World — with Food! ~ by John Robbins and Ocean Robbins, 2013, health

I chose "Short-Order Cook: 1 to 3 books" as my category because I'm starting 3/4 of the way through the year.  Maybe I'll be promoted to Pastry Chef (the next level) before the end of the year, but I'm not pushing myself.

Alphabet Soup ~ an update

I'm still filling my bowl of alphabet soup for this 2014 Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge.  The idea is to read 26 books this year, one book with a title starting with each letter of the alphabet.  Each letter counts as one spoonful of soup.  By the end of the year, I had read __22__ books in 2014 that count toward that goal of 26 books (nothing starting with Q, X, Y, or Z).

A = The Alphabet Versus the Goddess: The Conflict Between Word and Image ~ by Leonard Shlain, 1998, language and culture, 10/10
B = Brothers on the Run: Based on a True Story ~ by Pat Lorraine Simons, 2013, historical fiction (Germany), 7/10
C = A Charlie Brown Christmas (miniature edition) ~ by Charles M. Schultz, 2007, cartoons, 8/10
D = The Dovekeepers ~ by Alice Hoffman, 2011, fiction (Israel), 9/10
E = The Enoch Factor: The Sacred Art of Knowing God ~ by Steve McSwain, 2010, religion, 9/10
F = Five Famous Mice Meet Winston of Churchill ~ by Jean Davies Okimoto, illustrated by Jeremiah Trammell, 2014, children's, 10/10
G = The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes ~ by Mark Pett and Gary Rubinstein, illustrated by Mark Pett. 2011, children's, 10/10
H = The Housemaid's Daughter ~ by Barbara Mutch, 2012, fiction (South Africa), 10/10
I = The Invention of Wings ~ by Sue Monk Kidd, 2014, fiction (South Carolina), 10/10
J = Jonathan Livingston Seagull: A Story ~ by Richard Bach, photos by Russell Munson, 1970, fiction, 10/10
K = Knocking on Heaven's Door: The Path to a Better Way of Death ~ by Katy Butler, 2013, memoir, 9/10
L = Lost Lake ~ by Sarah Addison Allen, 2014, fiction (Georgia), 9/10
M = My Beloved World ~ by Sonia Sotomayor, 2013, memoir, 9/10
N = Not All Princesses Dress in Pink ~ by Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple, illustrated by Anne-Sophie Lanquetin, 2010, children's, 7/10
O = Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis ~ by Jimmy Carter, 2005, political science, 9/10
P = Paul and Jesus: How the Apostle Transformed Christianity ~ by James D. Tabor, 2012, history of religion, 9/10
Q
R = Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America's Police Forces ~ by Radley Balko, 2013, sociology, skimmed 7/10

S = Sisterland ~ by Curtis Sittenfeld, 2013, fiction (Missouri), 9.5/10
T = Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life ~ by Karen Armstrong, 2010, religion, 9/10
U = Unless ~ by Carol Shields, 2002, fiction (Canada), 8/10
V = The Very Hungry Caterpillar ~ by Eric Carle, 1969, children's, 10/10
W = Whistling in the Dark: A Doubter's Dictionary ~ by Frederick Buechner, 1993, religion, 8/10
X
Y
Z

Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge ~ 2014

This challenge is hosted by Lori @ Escape with Dollycas into a Good Book.  The bowl must be full by December 31, 2014 — one book for each letter of the alphabet.  The challenge is to read one book with a title starting with each letter of the alphabet.  Click here for more details — and to sign up.  I'll be filling my bowl of alphabet soup on this very post (below).

Each letter counts as one spoonful of soup.  So far I've read __18__ books in 2014 that count.

A = The Alphabet Versus the Goddess: The Conflict Between Word and Image ~ by Leonard Shlain, 1998, language and culture, 10/10
B = Brothers on the Run: Based on a True Story ~ by Pat Lorraine Simons, 2013, historical fiction (Germany), 7/10
C
D = The Dovekeepers ~ by Alice Hoffman, 2011, fiction (Israel), 9/10
E = The Enoch Factor: The Sacred Art of Knowing God ~ by Steve McSwain, 2010, religion, 9/10
F = Five Famous Mice Meet Winston of Churchill ~ by Jean Davies Okimoto, illustrated by Jeremiah Trammell, 2014, children's, 10/10
G = The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes ~ by Mark Pett and Gary Rubinstein, illustrated by Mark Pett. 2011, children's, 10/10
H = The Housemaid's Daughter ~ by Barbara Mutch, 2012, fiction (South Africa), 10/10
I = The Invention of Wings ~ by Sue Monk Kidd, 2014, fiction (South Carolina), 10/10
J = Jonathan Livingston Seagull: A Story ~ by Richard Bach, photos by Russell Munson, 1970, fiction, 10/10
K = Knocking on Heaven's Door: The Path to a Better Way of Death ~ by Katy Butler, 2013, memoir, 9/10
L = Lost Lake ~ by Sarah Addison Allen, 2014, fiction (Georgia), 9/10
M
N = Not All Princesses Dress in Pink ~ by Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple, illustrated by Anne-Sophie Lanquetin, 2010, children's, 7/10
O = Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis ~ by Jimmy Carter, 2005, political science, 9/10
P = Paul and Jesus: How the Apostle Transformed Christianity ~ by James D. Tabor, 2012, history of religion, 9/10
Q
R
S = Sisterland ~ by Curtis Sittenfeld, 2013, fiction (Missouri), 9.5/10
T = Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life ~ by Karen Armstrong, 2010, religion, 9/10
U
V = The Very Hungry Caterpillar ~ by Eric Carle, 1969, children's, 10/10
W = Whistling in the Dark: A Doubter's Dictionary ~ by Frederick Buechner, 1993, religion, 8/10
X
Y
Z

New Year's Resolution Reading Challenge ~ update

Although I added a few extra steps to this reading challenge hosted by Joy Weese Moll @ Joy's Book Blog, I haven't reached even the goal of four she suggested.  Here are her four, my three, and my progress climbing the ladder.  Notice I've only managed to review one of the three books I've finished reading.

Resolved:  1 book

✓  Evolving in Monkey Town ~ by Rachel Held Evans, 9/10

Determined:  2 books

✓  Whistling in the Dark ~ by Frederick Buechner, 8/10

Committed:  3 books

✓  Knocking on Heaven's Door ~ by Katy Butler, 9/10 

Passionate:  4 books
Ardent:  5 books
Fervent:  6 books
Ridiculously addicted:  7 books

How far will I go this month?  I think two more books.  I'm close to finishing Zealot by Reza Aslan, and  Help, Thanks, Wow by Anne Lamott is a relatively short book.  Barring something unforeseen, I'll definitely reach "passionate" and possibly my added level of "ardent."  Wish me reading luck.

Obviously, with only one week to go, I won't reach the level of "ridiculously addicted."  As I look at the books I thought I'd be reading, I see one has changed completely.  Instead of Embracing the Human Jesus by David Galston, my face-to-face group has decided to read Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life by Karen Armstrong (2010), which I'm also reading with my Book Buddies online.

Knocking on Heaven's Door ~ by Katy Butler

Knocking on Heaven's Door: The Path to a Better Way of Death ~ by Katy Butler, 2013

Having taught college ethics classes, I ordered this book to read about medical ethics.  Katy Butler's father told his exhausted wife, “I’m living too long,” yet doctors refused to disable his pacemaker, condemning him to a prolonged and agonizing death.  Katy, a journalist, set out to understand why.  The book deals with questions like these:

• When does death stop being a curse and become a blessing?
• Where is the line between saving a life and prolonging a dying?
• When do you say to a doctor, “Let my loved one go?”

This book is a blend of memoir and investigative reporting that lays bare the tangled web of technology, medicine, and commerce that dying has become.  I signed up for the New Year's Resolution Reading Challenge on December 13th, ten days after Jane — one of my closest friends — was told to put her affairs in order because she probably wouldn't see the end of the month.  She didn't, dying on December 29th.  I chose to read this just-arrived book to sort out feelings about death and dying.  Jane's quick death was not like what Katy Butler's father went through:

Katy Butler with her parents, Val and Jeff

"We hadn't created this mess.  My father's drawn-out dying and my mother's suffering [tending him around the clock at home] were the consequence of our culture's idolatrous, one-sided worship of maximum longevity.  As far as I was concerned, this violated the way of the universe and was a moral crime.  Why were we the ones being judged?" (p. 196).

Here's how dying was for another family Butler writes about in the book.  After a daughter insisted on turning off her father's pacemaker, after a doctor agreed to order it, after hospital staff questioned the doctor's orders, and after the hospital bioethics committee ruled it would be "kind and compassionate" to deactivate the pacemaker, this is how one man died (from pages 263-264):

Bella, who was her father's legally appointed medical decision-maker, took him back to her duplex.  A team from the device manufacturer came out and, after some hesitation, deactivated the device.  Bella and her daughter pushed two beds together in the living room, in front of a window overlooking the ocean, and stayed with her father as he grew weaker, sleeping with him throughout the night, their hands entwined with his, heads resting together.  He died peacefully, one week and one hour after the pacemaker was disabled, in her home, in her arms, surrounded with love.  Thanks to his daughter's extraordinary efforts, medical overdoing was undone, and he died the Good Death that our ancestors so prized — in the bosom of family, at home, and in a state of acceptance.  It was an expression of a new Art of Dying for a biotechnical time:  one requiring discernment, resisting Fast Medicine's default never-quit pathway, and honoring death.

The decision was Slow Medicine at its best — a shared decision that took into account the suffering of the whole family and did not focus reflexively on fixing an organ or extending a life.  It empowered the people who carried the burden rather than doctors who would perform a heroic intervention and then leave the family to pick up the pieces.  It accepted the reality of her father's twin terminal illnesses — dementia and heart trouble.  It was not made in isolation by an exhausted daughter but with the support and validation of a larger moral community.  It was the fruit of unusually harmonious cooperation between a family and a medical institution.  It was, in its own way, loving, beautiful, and holy.

This is one possible path to death.

My friend Jane Yelliott's death was like this, backed up by Slow Medicine.  Her doctor said he would recommend to Jane what he had recommended to his own father — palliative care so she wouldn't be in pain.  Jane wanted to die in her own bed, and she did, slipping away peacefully in her sleep.

Jane was an artist who lived fully, right up to the diagnosis of aggressive Stage IV liver cancer at age 87.  When she died, unfinished work was still on her easel.

I rate Knocking on Heaven's Door: The Path to a Better Way of Death 9 of 10, excellent.

Interview with the author, October 30, 2013.
New York Times article What Broke My Father’s Heart, June 6, 2010.

NOTE:  This is one of my books for the New Year's Resolution Challenge for 2014.

New Year's Resolution Reading Challenge 2014

Joy Weese Moll @ Joy's Book Blog has a new reading challenge.

THE RULES

What do you want to accomplish in the New Year?  Will reading a book help you reach your goal, keep your resolution, or complete your project?  The New Year’s Resolution Reading Challenge starts now and goes through the end of January.  Start the year off right by reading books that support your goals, resolutions, and projects.

Whether you want to write a novel, start a new career, or be happier, there are books to aid you in your quest.  The New Year’s Resolution Reading Challenge is to read one to four books that will stimulate action on your goals.  Here are the levels:

Resolved:  1 book
Determined:  2 books
Committed:  3 books
Passionate:  4 books

The books can all support the same resolution — you could read four books on getting organized, for example.  Or, read four books to help with four different projects — one book on moving to a foreign country, one book on health and fitness, one book on small business, and one book on knitting (on your way to becoming a healthy expat entrepreneur with great scarves). Stay tuned for information on upcoming Twitter chats and our New Year Read-Along book. This link is for sign-ups only.  Each Wednesday through January, there will be a link list for posts about your New Year Reading and your book reviews.

MY GOALS

This year, I'm working on several things, so I have lots of books that would fit this challenge.  Between now and the end of January, there are exactly seven weeks.  So my goal is to go beyond resolved, determined, committed, and passionate, all the way to "ridiculously addicted."  I want to read five to seven books, seven being — of course — the number I hope to achieve.  Here are my book choices (which may change) and the resolution each supports.  When I finish a book, I'll come back here and link the title to my review on this blog.

Resolved:  1st book (Dec. 14-20)

Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth ~ by Reza Aslan, 2013, biography.

Why?  Because I'll be teaching a class that's studying this book, I need to read it.  This is probably the book I'll start with.

Determined:  2nd book (Dec. 21-27)

Knocking on Heaven's Door: The Path to a Better Way of Death ~ by Katy Butler, 2013, memoir, 9/10

Why?  One of my dearest friends is dying.  She is not expected to live to the end of this month.  I'm reading this one for me, as I sort out feelings about death and dying.

Committed:  3rd book (Dec. 28-Jan. 3)

Evolving in Monkey Town: How a Girl Who Knew All the Answers Learned to Ask the Questions ~ by Rachel Held Evans, 2010, memoir, 9/10

Why?  I'm hosting an online book club at Book Buddies, and this is the book we are currently discussing.

Passionate:  4th book (Jan. 4-10)

Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers ~ by Anne Lamott, 2012, religion.

Why?  I'm writing a book on prayer, and I want to see what Anne Lamott considers the three essential prayers.

Ardent:  5th book (Jan. 11-17)

Whistling in the Dark: A Doubter's Dictionary ~ by Frederick Buechner, 1993, religion, 8/10

Why?  I have a word blog, and this is a different kind of dictionary.  I expect to find words that are interesting enough to write about.  One word I noticed is "funeral," which is on my mind right now (see 2nd book).

Fervent:  6th book (Jan. 18-24)

America's Women: Four Hundred Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines ~ by Gail Collins, 2003, history.

Why?  I'm also writing a book about Women Unbound, and this book covers 400 years in America.

Ridiculously addicted:  7th book  (Jan. 25-31)

Embracing the Human Jesus: A Wisdom Path for Contemporary Christianity ~ by David Galston, 2012, religion.

Why?  This is the book my face-to-face group will be studying next.  There are so few of us that each of us must read and take notes to keep our discussion going.

Big Summer Book Challenge

The Big Book Summer Challenge is hosted by Sue @ Book by Book.  It's an easy one -- read at least one book over 400 pages.  That means we can read as many big books as we have time and inclination for.  I knew immediately which book I've always seemed too busy to read.  Its 973 pages have proved a barrier, which I hope to conquer before Labor Day weekend.  Here's my one and only choice:

The Pillars of the Earth ~ by Ken Follett, 1989, fiction (England)

The building of a mighty Gothic cathedral in England in the twelfth century sets the stage for a story of intrigue and power, revenge and betrayal, faith, ambition, and bloodshed.  It's about ...

✓  Philip, prior of Kingsbridge, a devout and resourceful monk driven to build the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has known.

✓  Tom, the mason who becomes his architect, a man divided in his soul.

✓  Lady Aliena, beautiful, elusive, and haunted by a secret shame.

It's about a struggle between good and evil that will turn church against state and brother against brother.

A letter a day

Once again, I'm housesitting and feeding Babe, the cat.  To get ready for this February Month of Letters, I stopped last night — on my way back here from a birthday dinner for a friend — and stocked up on colorful Hallmark stationery, a package of designer paper, and a package of note cards.  I also got a note pad to list names and addresses of recipients and a green pen, which should be perfect for St. Patrick's Day as well.  My mailing list so far includes:

Jan ~ in Texas
Madge ~ in California
Helen ~ in California
Maggie ~ in Ohio
Paula ~ in Tennessee
Jenn ~ in Arizona
Martha ~ in Virginia
Ginny ~ in Florida

Why isn't your name on the list?  If you want a letter from me, send your postal address to emerging(DOT)paradigm(AT)yahoo(DOT)com and I'll add you to the list.  Hey, I'll even send it internationally.

I'll leave you with the two squirrels on the deck where I'm housesitting — click to enlarge the photos and look carefully — there's one at each end of the feeder on the railing. The birds were using that round (squirrel-proof?) feeder hanging down from the eaves.

A month of letters

Reading Jan's blog last week, I found a challenge to write real letters, as in snail mail.  A month's worth of letters, that is, not counting Sundays and holidays, when the Post Office is closed:

Last September, I took a month off from the internet.  During my vacation, I told people that they could correspond with me by paper letter.  Some people did.  Some people still are.  Every letter delights me.

When I write back, I find that I slow down and write differently than I do with an email.  Email is all about the now.  Letters are different, because whatever I write needs to be something that will be relevant a week later to the person to whom I am writing.  In some ways it forces me to think about time more because postal mail is slower.  “By the time you get this…”  It is relaxing.  It is intimate.  It is both lasting and ephemeral.

How so?  I find that I will often read the letters that I receive twice.  Once when I get them and again as I write back.  So, that makes it more lasting.  It is more ephemeral because I don’t have copies of the letters that I write and I am the only one who has copies of the letters that my correspondents write.  So, more ephemeral.

When was the last time you got a letter in the mail?  December sees a lot of mail, and you remember that sense of delight when the first card arrives.  You can have that more often.

I have a simple challenge for you.

1. In the month of February, mail at least one item through the post every day it runs.  Write a postcard, a letter, send a picture, or a cutting from a newspaper, or a fabric swatch.

2, Write back to everyone who writes to you.  This can count as one of your mailed items.

All you are committing to is to mail 24 items.  Why 24?  There are four Sundays and one US holiday.  In fact, you might send more than 24 items.  You might develop a correspondence that extends beyond the month.  You might enjoy going to the mail box again.

Feeling intimidated?  It’s fewer words than NaNoWriMo, and I know how many of you do that.  Join me in The Month of Letters Challenge.

Sincerely yours,
Mary Robinette Kowal

If I do this, what will I write?  Who will I send it to?  I put together this much of a post, then stopped.  For four days, I forgot about the challenge altogether.  Then today on Facebook, my friend Madge, who found this through another blogger, said she was going to do it.  Having never met face to face, though we've been book buddies since 1996, Madge and I exchanged addresses and I'm committed.

If you want a letter from me, send your snail mail address to me at emerging(DOT)paradigm(AT)yahoo(DOT)com.  I'll try to write to the first 24 on my list.  I guess I should start with Jan, who wrote the post which alerted me to the challenge, then Madge, who convinced me to do it.  Who else?

Hodge-Podge Proposals (you've gotta read these)

At Hour 12  of Dewey's 24-Hour Read-a-Thon on Saturday (7pm my time), we were offered a mini-challenge called Hodge-Podge Proposals.  Here were the instructions:

List (1) the first name of any character in the book you’re currently reading or just finished, (2) the make or model of your current car, and (3) a job you think would be especially fascinating.  Numbers 1 and 2 become the first and last name of your new character, and 3 is his or her occupation. Now briefly pitch me a new series in the genre of your choice based on this hodge-podge character!

I have no idea where my "story" came from, and I didn't choose to even submit it to the judges, but here's what I wrote and posted on my update at Hour 12 (along with my own comment on my idea):

Lauren Maxima seems an unlikely candidate to become queen of the world, but that's her goal.  For now, she'll settle for president of her fifth grade class.  (Hmm, this needs more thought before I submit it.  If, I submit it.)

On Sunday evening, I was looking over some of the mini-challenges.  Reading the answers posted in the comments of Hodge-Podge Proposals was such fun that I decided to share them with you.  Here's what I want you to do.  Go to Erin's blog, where all the comments were left in response to the mini-challenge, and do one of two things — or both:

(1)  Pick the best of the bunch, in your opinion.  Come back here, and leave the name of the blogger who wrote the one you liked best.
(2)  Write your own pitch for a new series, using the same criteria (see above).  Let's see what YOU come up with.
(3)  Alternately, do both.  What fun!

The winner of Hodge Podge Proposals, drawn at random, was Stacybuckeye, according to the winners list posted at Hour 16.  I'll share my favorite(s) in the comments, too.